Literature
- Analyzes, Interprets, and Critiques Literature
- Provides Lively Discussion and Debate
- Develops Cultural Aptitude
These courses provide the opportunity to read and discuss novels, short stories, memoirs, plays, and poetry. You will explore classic and contemporary literature from ancient texts to current bestsellers as you gain skills to analyze, interpret, and critique writing; develop cultural aptitude; and participate in nuanced discussions and lively debates.
This semester, study in-person or from anywhere in the world from the safety and comfort of your home through online or remote instruction.
Reading Homer's Odyssey: Voyage of Self-Discovery
Explore Homer’s Odyssey as a metaphor for the challenges we face...
Herman Melville's Moby-Dick
Seen as an artistic failure or an overgrown children’s book until the 1920s, Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick is now widely accepted as...
Literature for the 21st Century
Discover a generation of authors likely to set literary trends well into the 21st century.
Parallel Lives: George Eliot's Daniel Deronda
Dive deep into George Eliot’s masterpiece, Daniel...
The Novel Today
Section 1 on Wednesdays is the only in-person option - Thursday sections are online. Discuss major new work by today’s top writers,...
Ancient Greek Tragedy: The First Family
Follow the legend of the First Family of Greek literature: the House of...
Brilliant Minds
Read examples of works in which brilliant minds use their gifts to entertain, inspire, engage, and enlighten us. Spring 2024...
Masterpieces of 20th-Century Fiction
Study major modern 20th century novels that now enjoy classic status.
The Short Fiction of Franz Kafka and Jorge Luis Borges
Explore the two most ambitious and experimental short story writers of the modern...
George Eliot¿s "Middlemarch" in the 21st Century
Dive deep into George Eliot’s masterpiece, Middlemarch
Religion and Literature: From the Bible to James Baldwin
Register for this Spring 2024 course on the new NYU SPS Academy of Lifelong Learning website. The Hungarian critic Georg Lukács said...
Discovering the Modern: The Novels of E.M. Forster
Read the novels of E.M. Forster and learn about his contribution to modern literature.
Masterpieces of 19th-Century Fiction
Read 19th-century classics that have passed the test of time and are still of interest to contemporary readers.
Two Novels by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Crime and Punishment and the Brothers Karamazov
Read and analyze two recent, acclaimed translations of Fyodor Dostevsky’s most famous novels.
Reading Dante's Inferno
Examine the key themes, overall message, and place in cultural and literary history of Dante’s Inferno.
Three Recent Nobel Laureates from France; Le Clezio, Modiano, Ernaux
Read and analyze the works of three French Nobel laureates.